Reaching out to 2d artist asking permission to post a 3d version of their work
Hey, slightly odd situation but I found a 2d concept of a character and decided to make it in 3d just for a portfolio piece. After I finished the 3d piece I emailed the 2d artist with the usual speale of "love your work, wanted to make your 2d piece in 3d for practice, all for non commercial use etc" and sent over a final render asking for their permission to post it on artstation.
That was 4 days ago and I still haven't received an email back haha. Checked their email address it all works according to a google search. Should I wait a few days more and email again... or brave it and kindly bug them on instagram instead in case they never check their emails. I mean there could be a multitude of personal issues I don't know of course.
I don't want to post my 3d version without the artist being aware of it since its based on their 2d concept, but at the same time I don't want to not post it as its a lot of work to not show if they never get back to me haha. Odd situation. Any advice?
Replies
Post your work , credit the artist , no further inquiries required
I'd wait a few weeks before bumping the email if you really feel you need permission, especially if the artist is a professional-- they're probably busy and may not check that email too often if they're in the middle of a gig or even if they have may not have found the time/energy to reply. Could also just be on holiday or something. So bugging them again right away doesn't feel respectful of their time.
If they don't respond after a while and they've been active on some platform, I'd contact them via DM on the platform they're most active on (eg. twitter, insta).
But... yeah, as Carvuliero said, frankly I can't think of too many reasons why you would get into hot water if you make it very clear the credit and link back to them. :) A lot of artists do not speak the same language as us but even so would be happy to see someone realise their work (but won't respond to random english emails that aren't about work), or otherwise just don't mind the surprise at all. The only time I've ever seen someone get angry openly about this was a hobbyist to whom the design was really personal, and they didn't like getting fanart of it for their own unknowable reasons-- I sincerely doubt this is the case with whatever concept you chose, and if you ever got a scenario close to this you can always just say if the artist isn't okay with it that you're happy to take it down.
But like, again, that's being overly cautious I think. 😅 It's nice to ask, but I don't think you're often going to run into trouble if you don't.
thanks for the advice, the artist got back to me (holiday in the wilderness with no phone reception haha) and was cool with everything being shared online :)
I also like to ask before using anyones concept If its not commercial, I dont think you actually have to. Its just a nice thing to do. (correct me if I am wrong)
I do believe most 2d artists enjoy it when their personal art gets recreated in 3D. And if you credit them, its also benefical to them. So a win win :)